Ana Cristina Rodriguez, creator of Anita Illustrations, drew coral animations as part of a collaboration with Conservation Opportunity for Coral Reef Week to raise awareness.
To create these works, he trained with a variety of hard and soft corals. Specifically, his animations show what is elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), being the yellow and the sea feather (Pseudopterogorgia bipinnata), which is violet. Both are native to Puerto Rico, however, the P. bipinnata is common and the A. palmata is considered critically endangered. 
During her animation process she did not know how to identify them from each other easily until she noticed their polyps and their color variation. Thus, she tried to make them look as scientific as possible so that an expert could identify them at first glance.
“I thought they were all soft, but no, some are more delicate, others are stronger, and I didn't know that difference either. Even before, when I saw the corals from afar, I thought they were all white or reddish, and I didn't realize that there were also violet or orange ones. So, thanks to all these details, I was able to make the most scientifically similar to the corals”, said Ana Cristina Rodriguez.
To create her drawings, Ana usually asks her clients for reference photos and in this case, she also asked them to send their names. She then creates a folder with a collage on the computer and divides it by color, drawing style, shape and size. After that, she begins to make her first base drawings, while verifying that it goes according to the client's taste until the animation is finished.
Rodriguez, who studied computer science, has always been drawn to art, and from a young age she began imitating the art of others to formulate her own artistic identity. Although she used to draw as a hobby, she is now trying to do it full time. By taking some online courses, she started to teach herself everything she knows today. 
“In truth I have always liked art and what I studied I like and I understand that I can combine it with what I am doing digitally now. I studied computer science, but I always liked the design part, whether designing websites, making applications and their fonts, colors, among others,‘ explains the creator.
At the moment, besides this collaboration, he has not done so many yet, because most of them have been personal projects in a digital way. Among these is her small online business, through the application Etsy, where he sells products with his art. Some of these products can be hats, shirts, glasses or phone cases.
“I came across a video on how to start a small business with my own brand and decided to give it a try. Along the way of doing that, I discovered the different styles that I liked of ‘flat’ drawings that I can put on shirts and I can make ‘phone cases’. Little by little I have learned to market myself on the internet through social media,‘ said Rodriguez.
The creator is also learning new techniques to expand her knowledge in the industry. She seeks to train herself well with a specific, “vector” style to make images that are more friendly for advertisements, books, or similar looks. In the process she discovered specialized aids using a few types of tools such as photoshop and straighter.
Finally, Rodriguez interacts with nature in a variety of ways. She says that at one point she was afraid of it, but started hiking and walking through green areas. From there she began to enjoy taking pictures of the flowers or animals around her. However, nowadays he loves to dive in his spare time, and even took courses in underwater photography. Such photos she can edit using her editing programs, as the quality and resolution changes. Thus, she believes she feels a connection between her various passions and the environment.